Burnishing fingerboards to a high polish.

[bmccarthy]

I normally finish fingerboards using 400grit with some mineral oil and a small rectangular cork padded block. I polished a fingerboard today, after this stage, by burnishing it with a 6mm hardwood dowel and quickly brought it up to a high polish. I'm curious to know what others think of this method.I also tried it on the neck and got the same effect. I did the routine Maestronet Google search and nothing obvious came up.

[Jose Catoira]

Interesting...

I normally go up to 1500 grit with water, and after is dry, oil it up.

The sanding with the block up to 400, then freehand.

[Addie]

I used hardwood to burnish a fingerboard. An old trade violin FB that didn’t shine up with 1500 grit after planing. It came out well except a patch on the bass edge that was soft and stayed rough. Needs replacing really.

I also have a hardened steel burnisher that has a mirror polish on it, but I couldn’t find it. Typical.

[Oded Kishony]

I think a fingerboard can bee too shiny, it should have a soft burnished (not burnished look to it. I finish with steel wool which reduces some of the excessive shine.

Oded

[Addie]

I think a fingerboard can bee too shiny, it should have a soft burnished (not burnished look to it. I finish with steel wool which reduces some of the excessive shine.

Oded

There was no fear of a high gloss look with this fingerboard.

[Jimbow]

"I normally go up to 1500 grit with water, and after is dry, oil it up."

Mineral oil, Tung oil, maybe?

[fiddlesurgeon]

How about my scraper burnishing tool, which is a core pin cutoff from our tool shop.

[Matthew Noykos]

BMC,

Do you have any pictures?

[Jose Catoira]

"I normally go up to 1500 grit with water, and after is dry, oil it up."

Mineral oil, Tung oil, maybe?

I have tried drying oil such as tung oil before but didn't like the results. I am now using just light mineral oil. Baby oil.

There is also a lemon oil that I have used and gives a lovely scent to the ebony...

[martin swan]

Like Oded, I use 00 or finer steel wool, but then I polish with lemon (lemongrass) oil and superfine wet&dry paper - it leaves a very tactile finish, slightly polished but not too much.

[bmccarthy]

The first image is finished with 1500 as Jose said but without oil and only burnished/polished on the left side. The second two images are both oiled with mineral oil and again only polished on one side. Difficult to see clearly. I'd tend to agree with Oded about a more softer burnished look. Actually, the burnishing isn't too shiney . It does help to blend the fingerboard into the neck .

[CarloBartolini]

On my guitars I always used woodwind bore oil, it makes for a very easy to play fingerboard (much better than lemon oil) and does not deaden the sound as much as a drying oil (i think....is that right?)

edit - just looked up what bore oil is made of - can be many different formulas - so I don't know what it was - bought it in a woodwind store in LA - also found this interesting article where a woodwind restorer suggests groundnut oil or sweet almond oil - he uses the groundnut.

They do have experience with unfinished blackwoods....

oiling the bore

[Jose Catoira]

The first image is finished with 1500 as Jose said but without oil and only burnished/polished on the left side. The second two images are both oiled with mineral oil and again only polished on one side. Difficult to see clearly. I'd tend to agree with Oded about a more softer burnished look. Actually, the burnishing isn't too shiney . It does help to blend the fingerboard into the neck .

The initial shine of the oil goes away shortly after aplication.

[Oded Kishony]

something else I've been trying is applying minwax wood hardener. It darkens the wood and hardens the surface, dries quickly and I'm hoping prolongs the life of the fingerboard.

still a bit experimental but I've liked the results so far.

The wood hardener leaves the board too shiny but fine steel wood tones it down.

Oded

[Jack Havivi]

I go up to 600 grit, dry, then I use pumice and linseed oil. Have been doing this for 15 years. When going through the grits it is very important that you ensure that all the scratches from the previous grits are removed. no real need to go beyond 600.

Jack

[CarloBartolini]

Sorry, I know it's a bit off topic and off forum, but does anyone know a good way for me to enhance the grain of this iron-wood fingerboard?

Such a nice figure. Iron-wood is my favorite guitar fingerboard wood, best touch, my fav. sound and doesn't ever need truss rod adjustments as ebony usually does with climate changes...

[bmccarthy]

It's not that far off topic really, it's a finger board isn't it. I'd treat it the same as the ebony and oil it with mineral oil, baby oil for example. If in needs reviving you could give it some careful sanding starting with, say 150 finishing at 400 to 600. Be careful not to touch the frets and try to sand in the direction of the grain. Actually, any of the above suggestion would do. You could just use very fine steel wool and avoid the sandpaper altogether. That way you wouldn't scratch the frets. Now I've completely confused you.

Sorry, I know it's a bit off topic and off forum, but does anyone know a good way for me to enhance the grain of this iron-wood fingerboard?

Such a nice figure. Iron-wood is my favorite guitar fingerboard wood, best touch, my fav. sound and doesn't ever need truss rod adjustments as ebony usually does with climate changes...

[fiddlecollector]

Ive been using hand moisturiser for quite a while, after its smooth enough.Leaves a finish like a nice bow frog.

[Scott S]

Sorry, I know it's a bit off topic and off forum, but does anyone know a good way for me to enhance the grain of this iron-wood fingerboard?

Such a nice figure. Iron-wood is my favorite guitar fingerboard wood, best touch, my fav. sound and doesn't ever need truss rod adjustments as ebony usually does with climate changes...

Buff and clean with ScotchBrite (different grades are available), stay away from the varnish, dress with baby oil.

Scott

[CarloBartolini]

thanks

[David Burgess]

Is a drying oil in any way inferior to a non-drying oil? I'd rather not impregnate the wood with an oil which will not dry, and travel through the wood indefinitely, eventually reaching the gluing surface, should the fingerboard ever need to be re-glued. Also, a dried oil will gum up sandpaper less in subsequent refinishings.

I go up to 600 grit, dry, then I use pumice and linseed oil. Have been doing this for 15 years.

Jack

Pumice and oil can make a very nice looking surface. Have you thought about accelerated wear to the strings from an abrasive on the fingerboard surface? Aluminum D's and A's usually wear the fastest. Often you can observe a flat spot on the bottom of the D by twisting it over.

[MANFIO]

Many modern Italian makers left the fingerboard and the shaft of the pegs unpolished, with a "natural" look. They also left the end of the pegs "unfinished". And many Italian makers still are doing this.

When I started visiting NYC a dealer told me I had to polish the fingerboard, the shaft of the pegs and the end of the pegs, since I don't want to change the world I started doing it too! I use pumice with just a bit oil and some bone black pigment to make the fingerboard black jack.

[Jack Havivi]

Is a drying oil in any way inferior to a non-drying oil? I'd rather not impregnate the wood with an oil which will not dry, and travel through the wood indefinitely, eventually reaching the gluing surface, should the fingerboard ever need to be re-glued. Also, a dried oil will gum up sandpaper less in subsequent refinishings.

Linseed oil is a drying oil. I would say it is far superior to a non drying oil. I would not use one that doesn't dry, like mineral oil. Not sure about mineral oil traveling through the fingerboard to the gluing surface, but I just wouldn't use it.

Pumice and oil can make a very nice looking surface. Have you thought about accelerated wear to the strings from an abrasive on the fingerboard surface? Aluminum D's and A's usually wear the fastest. Often you can observe a flat spot on the bottom of the D by twisting it over.

I do not leave the pumice on the surface, it all gets wiped off. I'm sure that flat spot has more to do with the aluminium being in contact with the fingerboard more than any damage cause by a few stray particles of pumice.

Jack

[Jack Havivi]

Many modern Italian makers left the fingerboard and the shaft of the pegs unpolished, with a "natural" look. They also left the end of the pegs "unfinished". And many Italian makers still are doing this.

I hope it is not out of laziness that they do this... I can understand not polishing the shafts, but not finishing the ends... after all the care that goes into making a violin look beautiful as well as sounding good, it doesn't make sense to me.

When I start visitin NYC a dealer told me I had to polish the fingerboard, the shaft of the pegs and the end of the pegs, since I don't want to change the world I started doing it too! I use pumice with oil and some bone black pigment to make the fingerboard black jack!!!

I generally leave the fingerboard natural, that is no color. Sometimes though when you get a fingerboard with a lot of light streaks I use a chemical called Ersol with strong hydrogen peroxide, It makes it BLACK. I do this before the final oil and pumice. I have tried pigment, but many times it comes off on the fingers and doesn;t get into the wood.

[CarloBartolini]

As far as the life of the fingerboard, is it a good thing to oil? David's perspective is very interesting also (oil traveling), what happens in these old instruments, is it the same as the quote below?

From a woodwind restorer article.: (I posted earlier)

It is here that I must state my personal and professional reasons for advocating the oiling of the bore.

The bulk of my work for the last ten years has been the restoration of period woodwind instruments. I have had to restore instruments that go back to the 15th century, made in a variety of materials. Perhaps the most common restoration work involves the rejuvenation of 18th and 19th century flutes and clarinets, typically made in Boxwood, Cocabola and Rosewoods.

It's very common to find that the wood is bone dry - devoid of both water and oil. This makes the wood brittle, and prone to chipping. Rather more seriously it makes the wood extremely susceptible to humidity - so much so that tenon joints can lock solid on humid days, and fall free on dry days.

When a joint locks it exerts considerable pressure on the socket - which is why splits and cracks are a common sight on old instruments like these. It's really quite something to see when a drop of water is placed on the bore of one of these ancient instruments - it soaks into the wood in no time at all, and any attempt to play such an instrument could do untold damage as the wood would absorb all the moisture it could get!

But with careful and patient oiling the wood can be revived and stabilised.